End Where I Began
by Fayre Amore
Summary: Of beginnings and endings, the Doctor breaks a couple time rules to see his one last love, one last time. Now a twoshot!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N**_**Hey guys! First Doctor Who fanfic- so I'm kind of nervous. It's pretty short, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue past what I have here, so I'm going to leave it as "in-progress" for a while and if you guys want me to continue it, I will. I know that this has probably been done before, but I've never read one of those, so... yeah. No plagiarism intended?**

**Anyways, I hope you guys like it, please leave a review and/or favorite (preferably both...) if you do. **

**I've had this idea rolling around in my head for a while, begging to be let free, so on with the story!**

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It was over.

Everything. The war, the fear…his life…all over. Finished.

The Doctor was on his last regeneration, and he was dying. He knew it. The TARDIS knew it. So it wasn't much of a surprise when he stumbled into the console room and collapsed on the bench and she started to transport all on her own. It was an unspoken agreement-they both knew where he wanted-_needed- _to be.

They'd lost so many people in this war. So many people with would-be futures, lives, pasts and connections, family members and friends who would most likely never find out what really happened to them. And The Doctor knew all of them, had worked with every single one. But in the end, it was worth it, because the universe had been saved. Those few heroes and heroines who'd given up their lives had not done so in vain.

And the same went for him, though he could never be called a hero. He knew that _she_ would argue to the contrary, but she didn't know. She didn't know, not really, how he'd wiped out his entire race. How everyone he loved, everything he touched and affected, was destroyed, or at least irreparably damaged. Donna Noble, brave to the end, had lost her memory and everything that had ever made her believe that she was important. Martha, loyal to a fault, had been hurt and scarred and fallen for the one person who could never love her back. Jack had been forced to outlive everyone and everything, getting older but never changing, watching the world slowly march through its many phases. Mickey, Amy, Rory, Sarah Jane…Rose.

With the thought of her name came a slice of pain through his abdomen, and he knew he didn't have very much time. The poison was pushing itself through his veins, his hearts, his every organ, and he urged the TARDIS to move faster. Had teleportation always been so slow?

They finally landed, much more smoothly than he ever remembered ( maybe he _should_ have read that driver's manual), and the Doctor heaved himself up off the bench and over to the door, as quickly as his dying body would allow him to. He stopped there, staring at the seemingly old and rickety blue door. He knew where they were. But would she want him there? Would she remember him, still love him?

He remembered their many adventures together, leather-jacket him and pinstripe suit him, werewolves and Cybermen and Daleks and empty children and the Devil himself, and wished to go back. Back to the feel of her hand in his, to losing her and finding her and telling her to stay put and knowing that she never would. Maybe, if she had, he wouldn't have lost her. But then, she also wouldn't have been the Rose he loved so much.

He was an old man, so very old, and he wasn't afraid of dying. There wasn't a lot that he was afraid of now, not anymore, but he could not stand the thought of going without seeing Rose again. He began again with her, right after the Time War, and so he would end with her.

He opened the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor slowly stepped into the dim room, glancing around cautiously. He knew where-and _when- _he'd aimed for, but that didn't mean he actually made it. He'd not yet forgotten the incident with Rose-really, it was easy to mix up twelve hours and twelve months. It was honest mistake.

He closed his eyes and breathed in, feeling another flash of pain shoot through his stomach, before opening his eyes again and walking out of the room-he wasn't sure what exactly the room was supposed to be, maybe a kitchen?-and down a hallway. The Doctor wasn't sure how he knew where to go, but soon he ended up outside of a closed door. He doubled over for a second, catching his breath from walking so far in this body that was dying from the inside out, and then stood up straight and, unhesitatingly, opened the door.

The sight he was greeted with was not a happy one. An old woman lay on a bed, surrounded by flowers and cards. Her chest rattled with every breath she took, and each time she breathed out the Doctor was afraid that she wouldn't breathe in again. He walked over to her and sat down on the bed, taking her hand in his. She turned her head, coughing a little, her white hair fanned out over the pillow. "What… who are you? You're not one of the doctors."

Rose, his Rose. She was old, 87 in fact, if he was correct, and wouldn't live much longer. But even now, old and wrinkled, he saw the little things about her that made her his Rose from 66 years ago. Those chocolate brown eyes, faded but still with that spark in their depths. She smiled at him, and it was that old tongue-in-teeth grin that always drove him crazy.

He smiled a little. "Not one of these doctors, no." His voice came out raspy and weak, and he tried to clear his throat. "I am The Doctor, though."

It took a second, but he saw comprehension dawn in her eyes, and she struggled to sit up, her breaths coming in short gasps. "Doctor!"

He pushed her gently back to the bed. "Don't do that, no. Yes, it's me." He struggled not to let the pain show on his face, caused from both emotional and physical hurts. It hurt to see his Rose like this, bed-ridden and unable to even sit up unassisted.

"You've regenerated."

"Yes, couple of times actually. You know me, accident-prone. Oh wait, that was you, wasn't it?" He gave her a cheeky grin, and she smiled back at him before turning thoughtful.

"Why are you here? Why now? I thought it wasn't possible."

He smiled sadly. "I'm dying, sweetheart. On my last regeneration, and no way to fix what's wrong. No putting Humpty Dumpty together again this time. And I broke some rules. Came through a rift and then fixed it on this side."

"Oh. _Oh. _You're here because…you're dying…and I'm dying… I've just thou-"She stopped to cough against her pillow, her breathing becoming labored. "-thought of Romeo and Juliet. I never really liked that story."

The Doctor chuckled a little before admitting defeat and slumping against the headboard, obviously exhausted. "Yes, well…I always did love Shakespeare."

Her eyelids fluttered before she determinedly opened them wide, refusing to waste a moment of her time with this man she'd never stopped loving. The Doctor noticed, and knew that if she fell asleep, she most likely wouldn't wake up. And he didn't have more than a few minutes now either. He had to say it… had to finish that sentence.

"Listen-Rose. I've got to tell you something…before I…you know. Something I tried saying, a very long time ago. Rose Tyler…"

"You don't have to. I know."

He stopped short. "You do?"

It was her turn to smile sadly. "Of course, Doctor. I've always known."

"Oh." He laid down next to her on the bed, losing strength fast. Another jolt of pain made him catch his breath. "What if I want to say it?"

"Want to?"

"Yes. Because I do, I want to say it."

She turned her head towards him, her eyelids at half-mast. "Alright, then."

He swallowed hard, and looked into her eyes. "Rose Tyler, I love you."

She smiled, and closed her eyes. "I love you too, Doctor. Always have…always will."

He kissed her forehead and took her hand in his again, closing his own eyes. This was okay. If this was how everything was going to end… that was okay.

The Doctor breathed out.

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**_A/N_****The End :') **

**I don't know, it was really sad but I also think it was kind of perfect. I mean, The Doctor is right when he says that he can't spend his whole life with her. But that doesn't mean he can't ever see her again. And this way... he doesn't have to say goodbye.**

**Leave a review, constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcome :)**


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